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News: US pending home sales see biggest gain in 3 years

Tue, 07 Aug 07

A forward-looking indicator based on pending home sales shows the US market is likely to stabilize in the months ahead, according to the National Association of Realtors...

The Pending Home Sales Index based on contracts signed in June, was 5.0 percent higher from the downwardly revised May index of 97.5, but is 8.6 percent below June 2006 when it stood at 112.0.  This 5.0 percent monthly gain is the largest in more than three years, since a 6.1 percent increase in March 2004.

Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, said it is encouraging that the increase occurred in all four major regions: “However, it is too early to say if home sales have already passed bottom,” he said.  “Still, major declines in home sales are likely to have occurred already and further declines, if any, are likely to be modest given the accumulating pent-up demand.”

The index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.

Regional variations

  • The PHSI in the West increased 8.6 percent in June to 103.6 but was 5.5 percent below a year ago
  • In the Northeast, the index rose 3.1 percent from May to 96.0 but is 2.4 percent lower than June 2006
  • The index in the South increased 4.7 percent in June to 111.6 but was 12.7 percent below a year ago
  • In the Midwest, the index rose 3.5 percent in June to 92.5 but was 8.2 percent lower than June 2006

The National Association of Realtors is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

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